


Patience

by meronichan



Category: Thunderbolt Fantasy 東離劍遊紀 (TV)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-16
Updated: 2019-12-16
Packaged: 2021-02-24 15:56:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,238
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21820564
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meronichan/pseuds/meronichan
Summary: This piece is based on an interaction between these two characters in episode 7 of season 2. I own neither the characters, nor PILI/Thunderbolt Fantasy or any of its properties.
Kudos: 10





	Patience

Shang Bu Huan stared intently at the letter in his hand, promptly dropped into his lap that morning by a white dove which had perched on a branch above his resting spot beneath an old maple. The moment the note had landed and the bird made its hasty retreat, he could feel his blood pressure slowly rise. There was little doubt as to who the sender was.  
Running his finger along the rim, seeing the perfectly formed red wax seal, he let out an exasperated sigh as he broke it, revealing the first words written in an elegant, flowing script:

“To the most esteemed Shang Bu-Huan-sama,…”

A groan rose from the back of his throat. He couldn’t imagine what the bastard had to say, but he knew it wasn’t something he wanted to stick his nose in, if he could help it.  
He began to read snippets aloud to himself:

“…there is an important matter I wish to discuss with you in person,…”

“…the lake, I will be awaiting your arrival,…”

Bu Huan gritted his teeth, crumpled the letter, and uncaringly threw it into the fading embers of the fire which had kept him warm the night previous. As the flames ate through the fine paper, he was reminded of his partner, Lang Wu Yao.

Since their first meeting, the musician had wanted nothing more to tear into the Enigmatic Gale the same way a flame destroyed and cleansed everything it touched. He couldn’t even begin to imagine what sort of hardship Xue Ya had put the boy through in the wasteland. But from here on, Bu Huan vowed, no one – least of all Wu Yao – should have to deal with the machinations of the underhanded thief.

Bu Huan rose to his feet, feeling the effects of his perilous journey wreaking havoc on his aching limbs.

“ _Ha, as if I have a chance with him either,_ ” he thought ruefully, adjusting himself and setting off towards the destined meeting spot proposed by Lin Xue Ya.

\----  
The sun that day was bright and pleasant, casting rays of warmth onto the surface of the lake. A lone fish ascended to the surface, its silver scales reflecting the golden hue into the eyes of the fisherman seated on the edge of the pier. Dressed in his fine silken blue robes, adorned with rubies and diamonds, he looked entirely out of place for such a sport. Still, his crimson eyes never wavered from the fish, intent as he was on catching it.

“Closer, there’s nothing to be afraid of,” he cooed softly, as if the creature could understand him.

Just then, he could hear the planks on the old pier begin to creak behind him. Were it anyone else, it might have disturbed him, just a tad. But the careless gait and the weight of the footfalls told him who it was immediately, without him even having to turn around. 

Unfortunately, the fish, having also heard the noise, retreated back to the safety of its crystal clear home beneath the waves. 

No matter. He had plenty of time.

“So, what exactly did you call me out here for?” came the brusque question from the impatient individual behind him. 

Lin Xue Ya couldn’t help but smile at the man’s typical lack of tact and manners when it came to engagements with him. As always, he was planning to have his dealings with the Enigmatic Gale be as short as possible. Which, of course, was entirely no fun at all.

“It seems that I have certain compatibility issues with your friend. I thought it would be best if we met alone,” Xue Ya admitted frankly, relieved that Bu Huan had chosen not to bring the hot-headed younger man along. 

Wu Yao’s presence unnerved Xue Ya in a way that was unusual for him. It wasn’t that he was afraid of the man or his abilities, but that type of person was all but impossible to predict and to corral. He had made it quite clear to Xue Ya that he wouldn’t work with him unless he absolutely had to,…and to Xue Ya, well, the feeling was mutual. Wu Yao certainly was skilled, and unfailingly loyal to Bu Huan, evidently due to some connection between the men that Xue Ya was not yet privy to. But such blind admiration did have its drawbacks. If Wu Yao intended to stay attached to the hip of Bu Huan, Xue Ya would have to be very careful in how he dealt with him.

Oh, well. All in due time.

Shang shrugged his shoulder at this, also relieved that Wu Yao hadn’t chosen to follow him here. The last thing he needed was to act as the human shield between the two.

“Not surprising. I’m impressed you two managed to handle the Wasteland of the Spirits without trouble.”

Lin adjusted the pole in his hand, scanning the lake for any signs of movement as he continued to speak.

“We made quite the team, actually. Unfortunately, things took a turn for the awkward upon our return.”

Xue Ya had no intention of admitting that Wu Yao had openly attacked him without warning or remorse upon the retrieval of the dragon horn. He was used to that sort of treatment by now, but he couldn’t recall the last time it was over the well-being of a mutual acquaintance. Additionally, his own relationship to said acquaintance was called into question. 

Lang Wu Yao didn’t abide by putting Bu Huan into danger, least of all to satisfy the whims of someone as seemingly callous as the Enigmatic Gale, a title unknown to the musician. Wu Yao didn’t need to know of Lin’s reputation to distrust him. He wasn’t as naïve as Xue Ya had originally assumed. The situation could get very ugly, very quickly if Xue Ya stuck too closely to Bu Huan.

“It’s difficult to get along with people who talk so little,” was Xue Ya’s blunt statement in regards to their falling out.

Bu Huan hung his head for a moment as he recalled his own argument with the bard not long before, over the mysterious pale monk that they’d both crossed on the road. Bu Huan never once doubted the purity of Lang Wu Yao’s intentions, but his unpredictable actions were making it difficult to gauge when Wu Yao would attack, and for what purpose.

Bu Huan lacked the same ability as Wu Yao, the innate sense he had that alerted him to malice in others; but to Bu Huan, that same skill was becoming something of a hindrance. Unlike Lin Xue Ya, who had no difficulties explaining ad nauseum exactly why he did what he did in a way that left little room for debate, Wu Yao’s unfortunate silence and Ling Ya’s smarmy remarks didn’t quite instill confidence. He knew that Wu Yao wouldn’t hesitate to jump into Xie Ying Luo’s path in the name of revenge should he ever encounter her. And while he couldn’t blame the bard for wanting to do that, that was something he simply couldn’t allow. Between Xiao Kuang Huan, Ho Shi Ming Huang, Lang Wu Yao, and now the Seven Blasphemous Deaths, The Princess of Cruelty was caught in a four-way divide. If he could prevent her from being torn apart – mentally, physically, or otherwise – he wanted to do so. 

Just as he was about to lament his confrontation with Wu Yao and the lack of understanding between them, Xue Ya’s words brought him back once again to the current moment, and a poignant realization:

“So,…does that mean if I quit responding to these summons, you’ll leave me alone, too?”

Xue Ya had to stop himself from laughing aloud at the statement. Not only _had_ Shang responded to the summons, he did so in person, not even bothering to send a letter himself. Granted, should the letter end up in The Hunting Fox’s grasp it would undo his unfurling scheme, and thus he was thankful that Bu Huan had decided to make that decision. Still, his seeming reluctance to speak to Xue Ya in tandem with his immediate arrival was quite comical.

“And yet for your harsh words, you showed up here after receiving my dispatch. How very interesting you are,” came the cool reply.

Behind him, Xue Ya could hear Shang Bu Huan snort, struggling for a response. He very much desired to turn his head and see the flustered look on the Edgeless Blade’s face, but he chose to sit perfectly still, as if uninterested. 

In the distance, the fish that Xue Ya had been eyeing revealed a single, transparent fin before diving again below the surface.

“I never thanked you for that antidote, I guess,” was the Edgeless Blade’s pragmatic response. 

Xue Ya finally let out the laugh he had been holding in.

“Don’t think this means that I’ll let you rope me into something nasty!” came Bu Huan’s desperate threat. Even as the words left his mouth, he could feel the heat rushing to his face. He reached for his useless wooden sword, hanging ever faithfully at his side, as if he were going to attack Xue Ya for such embarrassment. But he made no effort to draw it, his hand hovering unsteadily in midair. Every time he dealt with this guy, he felt unnecessarily defensive. Bu Huan wasn’t his intended target, but that certainly never stopped Xue Ya from bringing more obstacles his way.

Lin Xue Ya could feel the tension rising. Really, in some ways Bu Huan was very much like his friend Lang Wu Yao. Both were incredibly quick to anger, but Xue Ya found that Bu Huan’s bluster faded just as rapidly as it came, a pebble temporarily disturbing the tranquil surface of the lake and soon returning to calmness. All it took was a few simple words.

“I did that for my own amusement,” Xue Ya responded, attempting to assuage his friend’s unease. “Think nothing more of it. But I have another proposition for you, actually.”

“ _Here it is_ ,” Bu Huan thought to himself. The real purpose behind the summons. “ _He wants to talk about his next big plan. And guess who the sucker is right in the middle of it?_ ”

Xue Ya began pressing Bu Huan for information about his next target, the Hunting Fox. As predicted, Bu Huan was hesitant to divulge any useful information. Despite that Xiao Kuang Huan was nothing but a bothersome thorn in Bu Huan’s side, the Edgeless Blade was quite adamant in his reluctance to assist Lin Xue Ya in his new plan. Unlike their trip to the Seven Sins Tower, in which Bu Huan was strung along due to his ignorance about Lin Xue Ya and Dong Di at large, he could now be more selective about his interactions with the personages therein. 

“I thought that my sabotage in this matter would be beneficial to you,” Xue Ya argued.

Bu Huan scratched his chin as he considered Lin’s point of view, but his conscience – ever unfailing – told him yet again that to do that would be treacherous. He couldn’t allow himself to become the next Hunting Fox. Or worse, Enigmatic Gale.

“Listen, I wouldn’t cry about him getting what’s coming to him. He’ll fall into his grave, but I won’t be the one to kick him in.”

If there was one trait about Shang Bu Huan Lin Xue Ya didn’t care for, it was his reluctance to assist him in matters that may be beneficial to Bu Huan in the future. His deliberate decision to leave the Hunting Fox’s fate up to “chance” was something that Xue Ya found foolish at best, and disastrous at worst. Men like Xiao Kuang Juan didn’t become the dangerous men that they are by falling into obvious traps. Only a carefully laid one would snatch the fox.

“If I did that, it would leave a bad taste in my mouth,” Bu Huan admitted. 

Xue Ya shook his head and looked to the clouds above him, in his mind picturing the face of Kuang Juan contorted in rage and despair. A wave of pleasure ran through him, warming him in a fashion that was not entirely dissimilar to the heat felt by Bu Huan at Xue Ya’s constant flirtatious teasing.

“And here I thought that such memories would make even the worst swill taste like the finest wine,” was Xue Ya’s flowery response.

Bu Huan furrowed his brow. “Good thing you and I don’t have the same taste.”

In the distance, the fish that had been eluding Xue Ya all morning made another appearance, this time followed shortly after by another fish of the same species. They rose to the surface and opened their mouths, eager to devour a water spider which had been gliding swiftly across the lake, until then undisturbed. Would it be easier to catch it, or simply let it die and eat it once its life was naturally spent?

Lin Xue Ya changed the subject. If Bu Huan wouldn’t relay any information of his own accord, he could at least verify what he knew already.

“Is it true, what he says of you raiding the treasury of Xi You?”

Expecting Bu Huan to avoid the subject, the other man’s forward admittance to the deed surprised even Xue Ya. The tone of Bu Huan’s voice made him sound almost proud of his accomplishment to foil the Hunting Fox’s plans. Of course, to Xue Ya, this raised some concerns: was the plot spoiled by Bu Huan himself, or did he have accomplices? Was such a partner the very same one that attacked him so viciously in the Wasteland? If their relationship was such, it would prove very difficult for Xue Ya to come between them. Still, it did not escape his attention that Bu Huan seemed reluctant to share this burden with Wu Yao as of late. Perhaps their attachment wasn’t as unfailing as he previously surmised.

“That does make sense. And I applaud you for being so reckless and unafraid of making an enemy of the emperor,” Xue Ya commented. It was difficult to tell if this was a genuine compliment, or a jab at Bu Huan’s lack of care.

As long as he had Bu Huan talking, Xue Ya pressed him for more information. It seemed that Kuang Huan was under the impression that The Princess of Cruelty had another sword in her possession, one that the Hunting Fox seemed eager to get his hands on. Such a thing would be the perfect object to lay into the trap he constructing for his new target.

When Bu Huan affirmed this, Xue Ya’s grip on his fishing pole tightened with his anticipation. Things were going along smoothly, after all.

In contrast, thinking of the Seven Blasphemous Deaths, Bu Huan’s blood ran cold. While the sword itself was enough of an issue, so many unsavory characters with their sights on it set him on edge right away. Allowing that sword to be taken was one of his greatest failures thusfar, one that he intended to atone for by any means possible. He didn’t want to divulge any information about the sword that might entice the Enigmatic Gale to steal it, but regardless of what he said, his warnings about the dangers of the sword seemed to further propel Xue Ya on his destined path, rather than dissuade him. This was exactly what Bu Huan was afraid of.

Shang Bu Huan held into the railing as he spoke, desperate for any sort of support, even from the inanimate.

“Teaming up with the law must have been humiliating, but she would still prefer that to drawing that sword. Still, Ying Luo is cornered now. There’s no telling what she’ll do,” Shang said as if talking to himself, airing his concerns to the one person he knew would care the least. But really,…what choice did he have?

Lin Xue Ya smirked at hearing this characteristic concern from Shang Bu Huan. The fate of his enemies wasn’t the only thing that the mysterious wanderer left to chance.

“It must be difficult, to worry more about your enemies than yourself.”

Looking at Xue Ya’s thin back, his form sitting so peacefully even as everything around him was crumbling, Bu Huan felt almost childish in his exhaustion and panic. For a brief moment, though he feigned disinterest before, he wanted to know what sort of plans the Enigmatic Gale was cooking up for Hunting Fox. As long as he took care of the sword, as long as he could save Ying Luo from total annihilation, as long as he could prevent Wu Yao from needlessly killing and falling into darkness,…

Suddenly, he became painfully aware of the heavy weight of the world pressing down on his shoulders. So what if Xue Ya wanted to get his jollies from Hunting Fox? With any luck, the two of them might bring each other down. With two less villains to worry about, that would make his job infinitely easier.

Wouldn’t it?

“I won’t help you set him up, but if he corners Ying Luo, let me know,” Shang requested, clenching his fists with determination. “She has to be stopped.”

Lin Xue Ya looked down at the lake again. He could see that the remains of water spider, who had been so thoughtlessly gliding across the lake, was now missing almost the entirety of its body as it floated towards him. Only a few twisted legs remained. Evidently, the fish that had been fighting over the meal had both taken what they wanted. A mutually beneficial solution.

The Enigmatic Gale, presented with the go-ahead to further his plans, as well as the proposition of working directly with his uneasy comrade, resulted in a satisfied smile which was seen only by the reeds swaying gently in the breeze along the riverbed.

However, though the meeting resulted in exactly what he had hoped for and more, he knew as Bu Huan’s partner, he could no longer keep him from knowing about Kuang Huan’s next step to capture Seven Blasphemous Deaths and, eventually, the Sword Index.

“I’m afraid it’s rather too late, unfortunately,” was Lin Xue Ya’s response to Bu Huan’s request. The gentle smile which he exhibited earlier curled into a mischievous grin. “The Hunting Fox plans to ambush her, as he knows she will want to return to Xi You with the swords.”

Bu Huan’s heart rate soared, as did his displeasure at Lin Xue Ya for keeping him idle for so long. So much for partnership! Xue Ya intended to keep Bu Huan there as long as possible, hoping that The Princess of Cruelty would be cornered and that Hunting Fox would get the swords, didn’t he? Damn him!

“Why the hell didn’t you say that earlier?!” Bu Huan shouted in anger, immediately turning tail and running off in the direction of the road leading to the Wasteland, and thus Xi You.

Lin Xue Ya languidly rose, placing his rod to the side, his vermilion gaze following the retreating form of The Edgeless Blade as he ran into the distance, once again into the direct path of disaster.

“Things have become interesting once again,” he said aloud.

_To catch the prized fish, struggling so hard against the fisherman’s rod as well as the tides of the unforgiving world, all one need do is provide the right bait._


End file.
